Enclosing a casket within a burial vault is well known in the mortuary sciences. Enclosures for use with caskets to be interred within above ground mausoleum crypts are often constructed as two-piece assemblies having a bottom, on which sits the casket, and a top (also typically referred to as a cover or dome) which is placed around the casket. The top and bottom are then sealed (e.g., by heat sealing or use of an adhesive glue or tape) to form a hermetically sealed enclosure. Casket enclosures known in the art are generally either heavy synthetic plastic materials which are bulky and expensive or light weight plastic films or bags which, while being more cost efficient, are more easily punctured or damaged thereby destroying the hermetic seal.
Beyond weight and expense, current casket enclosures further suffer from a number of significant drawbacks. Chief among these drawbacks is the inability to form a truly hermetic seal between the top and bottom members. A number of systems have been designed wherein the top and bottom members are formed of plastic having a moderately high melting point where the seal is generated by applying a heat source to the overlapped members to fuse the members together. However, applying too much heat can damage one or both members leading to a hole within the enclosure, while applying too little heat can incompletely form a seal leading to a gap within the enclosure.
Alternative attempts to form a hermetic seal include means which employ an adhesive. Adhesives can either be glued-based or tape-based. The glue-based adhesives attempt to seal the top layer to the bottom layer by spreading a line of glue along one or both edges of the top or bottom and pressing the edges together until the glue cures. Unfortunately, the glue-based adhesives suffer significant drawbacks. First, the glues are often toxic or noxious chemicals which require special handling or personal protective gear. Second, this process is time consuming as users must first produce a safe working environment and then physically glue and hold each seam until the glue cures. And third, the seal may be incomplete for failure to apply a sufficient amount of adhesive, failure to supply a sufficient amount of pressure or failing to wait until the glue cures thereby disrupting the seal.
Turning now to tape-based adhesives, the top and bottom layers are overlapped with the tape being placed over the outer edge to form a seal. Tape-based adhesives suffer similar drawbacks as glue-based adhesives (incorrect application of pressure, improper application of the tape) while also suffering from eventual degradation of the adhesive material. Indeed, over time the adhesive will dry and crack leading to gaps within the seal. Furthermore, either type of adhesive prevents opening and resealing of the enclosure should the need arise to open the casket.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,590 describes a casket enclosure having a flexibly rigid bottom tray within which rests a casket. A Tyvek cover is then placed over the casket and sealed to the bottom tray using an adhesive tape to cover the seam. The Tyvek cover is also equipped with a one-way check valve to relieve gas pressure generated from decomposition from within the enclosure. The '590 patent further provides that the bottom tray is foldable such that the tray forms a sturdy self-sustaining shipping and storage container when closed. The Tyvek cover and adhesive are housed within the tray when the unit is being stored or shipped. While this folding bottom tray may provide the benefit of producing its own shipping container, this feature also presents a flaw to this device. As the bottom tray is used to form a hermetic seal when joined with the cover, any damage, holes or cracks (particularly at the creases) would destroy the seal. Additionally, as these holes or cracks are on the bottom tray, and any fluids released during decomposition which escapes the casket will also leak out of the enclosure. This only adds to the potential release of odors or attraction of pests. The adhesive tape described by the '590 patent also suffers those drawbacks as discussed previously.
As such, there is a need for a system and method for enclosing a casket that is light weight, compact, cost efficient and provides a long-lived hermetic seal. Additionally, there is a need for a system and method that provides a hermetically sealed enclosure which further enables containment of any leaks should the casket seal be disrupted. The present invention addresses these and other needs.